Travel Fatigue

OK, I wanna go home. I want to get my clothes out of a closet or drawer, not a suitcase. And I want to eat food that I cooked, heavy on the fruits and veggies. Travel fatigue has set in, for sure. It's been a great trip, but ending it by going through the storage area in one of our rental houses in Maryland is taking its toll. The adults are tired, and the girls are bored and tired, which is a lethal combination for harmony. So while John is over at the rental house with his helpers, I am at the Hampton Inn letting the girls watch Cartoon Network, waiting for my BFF to rescue us and take us out to breakfast. Shaking things up a bit always helps. I know we can get through the next few days with more smiles than tears, and that the trip back to Key West is getting closer. We got this! I've so enjoyed being back in Frederick, Maryland. Between visits I forget how lovely it is. The region has had a lot of rain so everything is green, green, green! The flower baskets hanging from the street lamps on Market Street are lush and colorful, and the blooms along Carroll Creek are striking. We got to visit some of our favorite spots and see some of our favorite people. It's good to see that the Tasting Room is still packed on a Tuesday evening, and I swear some of the patrons at Bushwaller's have been sitting on the same bar stools since we grabbed a beer last summer. La Paz is our 'Cheers' where everybody knows our name and our life story....the regulars looked at photos of the girls during the adoption process and some had tears in their eyes when they finally got to see them in person. Last evening I attended a book signing at Curious Iguana book shop on Market Street, which is owned by a friend from Hood College, not far from downtown on Rosemont Avenue. Our ties run deep here. I lived in Frederick longer than I lived in Altoona, where I grew up, so spending time in both places is quite special. Tonight we are taking the girls to Pistarro, the new Italian spot on East Street. Tomorrow evening will be our last big La Paz dinner. I hope to get to Wegman's one more time as well. As much as I love the Taj Mahal of gourmet grocery stores, I'm actually glad I'm not closer to one because I don't think I could sleep at night, knowing that all that stuff is there just waiting for me to come and claim it.  :)

Northern Exposure

I'm cold! It is raining (again) and the temp is in the 50s. I think I've been up north long enough that I am officially having 'sunshine withdrawal.' I've really enjoyed the cool sunny mornings, hanging out on the front porch with family and cups of coffee. I'm totally over the rainy mornings. It's tough to get motivated, which is a feeling I remember from my life in Maryland. A bright dose of sunshine would be much appreciated right now! But rain or shine, we are down to our two last days in Pennsylvania. I've shopped and shopped - the travel box on the top of my Jeep will be full of good stuff when we pack up later today. I've saved one last solo trip to Target for later....I'm sure there are some things that I really don't need but I will be just thrilled to discover on those shelves full of wonderfulness. I knew I was coming to the end of my time in the stores yesterday, when I started seeing items that made me say 'whaaat?', like camo printed knives at Bed Bath & Beyond, and One Direction perfume and tanning products labeled with the Kardashian brand at Ulta. I think the universe is telling me it's time to head back to Key West....more sunshine, more outside fun, less consumerism. Before we start the long road trip back to the island, we have a BIG project to do in Maryland. We need to sort through a bazillion boxes stored in one of the homes we own in Frederick, plus have a 'lock out' area built in the basement for our owner storage. The plan is to be there for five days, and John and I are hoping we can get things done in that time frame. But along with the house projects, we will all definitely have some fun. It will be great to see our Frederick friends, the people we spent much time with during out 20 years there. I can't wait for some salsa and chips at La Paz, our favorite Mexican joint, and I am really excited to attend a book signing on Tuesday evening at a friend's book store downtown. Add as many coffee dates as possible with my oldest girl friend (she's not old....I've just known her the longest!) and a trip to my former stomping grounds at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda (hello, Nordstrom!) and I will be one happy girl. I haven't really thought much about Key West during our weeks away, but now my island home is looking like the light at the end of the tunnel....literally and figuratively. :)

Off Island

We left Key West one week ago to make the 23 hour drive to my family in Pennsylvania. One night in Port Wentworth, GA (just outside Savannah), one night in Winchester, VA, with lots and lots of miles between each stop. After living in K Dub for four years being up north seems like visiting a completely different world. I have to remind myself that where I am right now is the way most places are.....Key West is certainly NOT the norm. The weather in Central PA has been delightful! One morning it was 54 degrees, and the warmest it has been is 70. The cool mornings and green, rolling hills are soothing. I have gotten to spend lots of time with my mom, dad, two sisters, two nephews and a niece. The girls are in heaven....Mom-Mom and Pap's house may just be their favorite place on earth. We have gone to Barnes & Noble, Panera, Michael's and Target - a big deal when you live far away from such things. The girls got their first horseback riding lesson, which was a huge success. They absolutely loved it, and I loved watching them learn and listen to the instructor and 'talk' to the horse to let it know where they wanted to go. And it was worth every minute of the long drive and all the 'are we there yets' to spend Father's Day with my dad instead of calling him on the phone. We will be back at my parent's house on Wednesday, after a short trip to Claryville, NY to see some of John's family. This morning we are leaving the rolling hills of Central PA for the rolling hills of the Catskill Mountains, about a four hour drive from Altoona. It is another scenic part of the country, with lakes and small towns and winding roads. It will be great to catch up with everyone there, and I look forward to taking some photos of the scenery. I hope to find some quaint shops to browse, and John found some pottery studios that offer tours. It will be a fun side trip. When we get back to PA we have a long list of things we need to do before we head to Maryland for the remainder of our trip. We have to go to the mall, get Josie's ears pierced, get frozen yogurt at Sweet Frog's, go to the local amusement park, and enjoy more cool mornings on the front porch with multiple cups of coffee. Key West seems very far away right now, in more ways than just in distance. And that is just fine for right now.

The Orphan Chicken

Around the time that we knew we would be losing our beloved dog to old age, the neighborhood was host to several mama hens and broods of chicks. I think because we were sad to have lost our longtime animal companion we were more tolerant of the chickens. Kind of a circle of life thing, like the song from Lion King. (Obviously, our sadness was clouding our judgement....a little coo coo in hindsight.) Especially after we noticed the black cat tailing them. At first, there was mama and her five babies chirping in a line behind her. Then there were four, then three.....we started chasing the cat away instead of the chickens, hoping to give the chicks a chance. The chicken families have moved on. Except for one. The last chick that we tried to protect from that evil black cat has taken up residence. She is now a teenage hen, not a chick but not full grown. And she seems kind of lost without the rest of her family. Every morning she is some place with a view of the front door. When the girls and I get home from school, she is back until Mari charges yelling 'CHICKEN!!!!!.' Well, even though I still miss Murphy, this orphan chicken is wearing out her welcome. Sweeping up the tossed-about mulch around the lanai is getting old. And I will go and find that evil black cat before I start cleaning up chicken poop, that is for sure. We leave tomorrow for our annual trip north, and I hope that in the next month she will find some new friends and a new home. Either that, or you'll see me walking around the neighborhood with a can of cat food in July, looking for that cat.

Summer in Key West

Things are winding down here on the island. Five more days of school and the kiddos will be on summer break. I'm pretty sure the sports teams are finally done for the season (Conchs REALLY like their baseball!), and the last few weekends have featured the dance recitals and end-of-year concerts that mark this time of year. For the grown ups, the start of summer can be marked in ample parking spaces, even downtown, and 'no wait' service at local restaurants....even the really popular ones. It gets really quiet in Key West. And it's nice. Many locals work in the service industry, and lord knows they rely on visitors for their livelihood. But I know the servers I've chatted up lately are looking forward to a break. And maybe a little time off. They deserve it!

The humidity starts to amp up this time of year, there is no doubt about that. I think most people who don't live here think Key West summers are unbearable, but they aren't. Seriously! We always have a breeze, and even in July the average temperature is 88. It gets much, much hotter in most areas of the country. I know, I know.....but that is a DRY heat. Well, I'm here to tell you that I will take Key West's sultry, even summers (there is a 10 degree or less difference in highs and lows) over the rainy, cool June and scorching July and August of Maryland and other Mid-Atlantic states. Those weeks where the temp reaches 100 and the grass turns brown....yuck! And talk about humid.....ever been to Washington, DC or NYC during a summer heatwave? It gets pretty nasty many other places, if even for a short while.

Here we know what we are getting, and it's just part of island life. Summer in Key West means hot days, sultry nights, and calm waters. It means rains that seem to come out of nowhere, drenching the earth and then leaving as quickly as they came on. Grab a cold drink, take an afternoon siesta, and a dip in the pool at midnight. It's all good.